Both parents and school board officials across Oklahoma are continuing to get “mixed signals” concerning school policies that allow students to choose bathrooms based on the student’s self-proclaimed gender identity.

Property owners are coming to realize that their ad valorem taxes are continuing to go up basically every year. In many cases, they increase at or near the state’s legal 5% cap. So every 10 years they go up by 50% and every 20 years they will double.

Funeral services for Timothy “Tim” Parker, of Fort Towson, Okla., will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 21, 2022 at Miller & Miller Funeral Home. Timothy passed away April 17, 2022, at the age of 64.

William “Billy Dale” Bloodworth, lifetime hunter and fisherman of Choctaw County passed peacefully in his home in Hugo, Okla., on April 16, 2022, at the age of 74. William spent the majority of his life in Hugo, aside from his time in the military where he was a decorated combat veteran of the U.S. Marines.

Memorial services for James Hammons, of Hugo, Okla., will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 21, 2022 at Miller & Miller Funeral Home Chapel.

Lawyers across Oklahoma will provide free legal advice on Thursday, April 28, during the annual statewide celebration of Law Day. Oklahoma residents may call 405.493.9131 or 918.551.6022 to speak to a licensed attorney at no charge. Those with legal questions also have the option to email AskALawyer@okbar.org to access the service.

North Richland Hills, TEXAS –– A suspect has been identified in the 19-year-old cold case involving the shooting of Officer Jeff Garner. The identification was made after a thorough and intricate investigation involving North Richland Hills Police, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas and Oklahoma City field offices.

Fort Towson students competed in a curriculum contest on March 30 at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Fort Towson placed fifth overall in Division II.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Department is extending to May 11, 2022, the application deadline for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), which provides funding to expand meat and poultry processing capacity.

• After first case of Avian Influenza was detected in a wild duck in Oklahoma Each year, as spring arrives, many people begin or continue raising backyard poultry flocks. These flocks have been gaining in popularity over the past several years and interest in them continues to grow.